A Hopeless Game
by Jazz WindField
Summary: AU When Hikaru was young, he had an accident that permanently crippled him. How would he be able to step into the Go world when the time finally comes?
1. Prolouge

-

"_Hikaru!!_" Her eyes shot wide open in horrid realisation, dimly aware that there was no way that her son would be able to come out unscathed from this incident.

The car screeched as the driver stomped on the brakes frantically, trying to swerve out of the path of the oblivious child; not succeeding as the side mirror of the car slammed onto the unsuspecting 6-year old child, the tires trampled mercilessly upon the child's legs.

All of that happened in a spilt second. Mitsuko stared upon the scene with growing horror. Bile threatened to rise from her stomach when she saw the pool of blood expanding, slowly, from beneath a tire of the car.

"_Call the ambulance!!"_

-

Hours ticked by, Mitsuko turned her tired eyes towards the operating theatre, stared at the unblinking red light above the door, as if in mockery of her. She wanted to sleep, she really did. But every time she closed her eyes, the image of Hikaru, _her beloved son,_ lying still; unmoving, beneath the car brought fresh tears and a new wave of fear to her heart.

The red lighted flicked a few times before finally fading. The door to the operating room opened and the doctor in-charge walked out, face grim.

"No. It can't be. No." Mitsuko shook her head as beads of tears leaked out.

"I'm sorry, Shindou-san. Although we've managed to save your son's life, but…I'm afraid he'll never be able to walk again." The doctor bowed his head in respect, apology and great sadness, before walking off, far too used to these sights.

"Hikaru… _Not my baby...Oh _Kami-sama." She wept, both for herself and the forever ruined future of her son.

-

She opened the door as silently as possible, peeking in to look at the condition of her son. His pale baby face, dressed in comfortable clothes, surrounded in a sea of white looked back up at her. Everything seemed fine, except for the horrible fact that he would never be able to walk again. Never to run about with other kids, playing, having fun. He'll forever be confined to a wheelchair.

Hikaru stirred, eyes squeezing shut for a moment before opening, "'Kaa-san? Daijoubu?"

When his mother didn't reply, only shaking her head and continuing to cry, Hikaru became confused, and tried to walk towards his mother to comfort her. Only to find out that he was unable to move his legs.

In his panic, Hikaru had succeeded in unbalancing himself, almost falling off the bed, if not for his mother's timely save. "'Kaa-san?? What's goin' on?"

"Gomenasai. Gomen, musuko." She whispered out, attempting to comfort her distraught son.

-

_A year later…_

"Okaa-san, why doesn't the other kids want to play with me?" Hikaru looked up to his mother, eyes filled with unshed tears, illuminating those yellow orbs of his.

Gazing lovingly at the wheelchair bound son of hers, she smiled kindly, refusing to answer, rather, changing the subject. "Hikaru-kun, how would you like to go to your jii-san's house for a while?"

"Honto?" His grandfather was always kind to him, giving him sweets and showering him with all sorts of affection. Not that he hated his grandmother, but he definitely preferred his jii-san.

"Hai." Hikaru's mother smiled. She stood up and pushed Hikaru's wheelchair towards the direction of their house. "Why don't we go home and pack the things you'll need?"

"Hai!!" Hikaru replied cheerfully, his previous sadness forgotten, for the time being. Using both his hands, he pushed himself forward, easily outstripping his mother, before turning back for a moment and sticking out his tongue playfully. "Bet you can't catch me, kaa-san!"

-

"Hikaru-kun? Daijoubu?" His grandfather's gentle voice shook him out of his stupor he was trapped in when he first set his eyes upon the luscious green garden of his.

The green grass, blooming flowers, great wise branches of the Sakura tree, all swaying in tune to the pattern of the winds. The koi in the pond, colourful insects, the melodious chirping of the birds, all brimming with a liveliness that Hikaru sorely lacked, ever since that accident. Not to mention, ever since the other kids found out that he was wheelchair bound, they started shunning him, widening the gaping void in his young heart, exposing his young mind to the cruelty of humanity at a young age.

"Daijoubu." Hikaru looked upon the peaceful scene before him enviously, tears springing to his eyes.

"Hikaru? _Hikaru!_" His grandfather knelt down beside him worriedly, allowing his grandson to cry quietly on his elderly shoulders, letting lose the well of sadness and frustration he held.

"Why do the other kids hate me, grandpa? I didn't do anything wrong, did I?" Hikaru sobbed out.

"No, you didn't. The other children don't understand what you are going through. They are unable to accept what they don't understand, Hikaru. Give them time." Heihachi, his grandfather comforted him.

Kneeling down to look eye to eye with Hikaru, he smiled when he saw his beloved grandson starting to calm down.

"Why don't I take you to explore the attic? There's a really cool Go board there, you know."

"Go…board? What's that?" Hikaru asked, wiping his tears from his eyes, looking at his grandfather with new-found curiosity.

"You don't know what Go is?? Oh, _what is this world coming to?_" Heihachi mock exclaimed, eliciting a burst of laughter from Hikaru.

"Come on then. Why don't I explain to you what Go is about as we make our way to the attic."

-

His grandfather had surprising strength for a man his age, able to carry both Hikaru and his wheelchair up the steps of his storehouse, before gently putting him down when they've reached their destination. Checking to see if Hikaru was hurt, the paranoid grandfather just _had _to reassure himself before allowing Hikaru to travel around his attic.

Spotting a Go board, similar to the one his grandpa had in his living room, Hikaru felt strangely attracted to it. Feeling as if he was in a trance, Hikaru slowly wheeled towards the board, brushing the dust off it, before gently caressing the bloodstains on the board. Never once hesitating.

"_Can you hear my voice?" _

"What?" Hikaru snapped out of the trance, head shooting up, trying to locate the source of the voice, attracting the attention of his grandfather.

"_You can hear my voice, can't you?"_

"Who…Who are you?" Hikaru whispered out, terrified.

"Hikaru? Who are you talking to?" His grandfather asked as he approached his grandson, "There's no one here, Hikaru."

"_I found someone."_

"_I've finally found someone."_

"Jii-san. What's happening?! Why am I hearing someone's voice??" Hikaru half-shouted, panicking, on the verge of tears.

"Hikaru? There's no one here." He then took Hikaru by the shoulders and gently shook him, hoping to snap him out of whatever he is trapped in.

"_The gods before me, I thank you. I…I will now once again…return to the living world."_

Hikaru's breath suddenly caught in his throat as a regal white robed figure appeared before his very eyes. His startling purple hair, contrasting greatly with the white robes, a tall hat, matched with his equally sharp and piercing violet eyes.

"Hikaru! Hika- "

The rest of the world just simply faded away, the figure disappearing as mysteriously as it came, and Hikaru slumped down on his wheelchair, unconscious.

-

-

Musuko: Son

Gomenasai/ Gomen: I'm sorry/ Sorry

Honto: Really?

Daijoubu: Are you okay?

Kami-sama: God

A/N: Hope you liked the prolouge.


	2. Chapter 1

-

-

"Hikaru… Hikaru…Wake up, please, my son."

Opening his bleary eyes, and immediately snapping it shut right after as his sensitive eyes caught the bright lights shining overhead. His nose took in the smell of the sterilised room, guessing without a moment's hesitation that he was at the hospital, being there far too many times to not recognise the familiar, yet unwelcome scent.

"Kaa-san?" Hikaru rasped out, breaking into fits of coughs soon after. "What happened?"

"You collapsed, my dear. Are you feeling okay?" His mother fussed over him.

"At jii-san's?" _'The voice. It was right after I saw the weird man. Is he a ghost?' _

"Hai. Are you sure you're feeling alright? I can have the doctors to come in and check up on you if you like." Mitsuko looked at him worriedly.

"Don't worry, I'm fine 'kaa-san. I was just a little tired, that's all. Nothing to worry about." Hikaru reassured her, pushing himself up to a sitting position.

"Honto?" Mitsuko seemed to have a lot of energy to spare as she continued to look him over once to see if he had any other injuries that the doctors didn't spot. But one look into her eyes and all the wariness she was feeling became apparent. Staying up for the entire night had taken a toll on her.

"Really. Why don't you go and rest, 'kaa-san." Hikaru urged her, not wanting to see her collapse on her feet.

Seeing the concern about her state of health in Hikaru's eyes, Mitsuko couldn't help but feel touched at the concern of her son. She truly was lucky to have a son like Hikaru.

Hesitating for a moment, as she was unsure about what she should to do. On one hand, she already on the verge on falling asleep on her feet, but she just can't feel comfortable about leaving Hikaru in the hospital by himself. Especially not when he had just collapsed out of the blue. _What if he did it again when she wasn't here?? What if-_

"'Kaa-san, your tired. I don't want to see you sick… Please, take a rest. I can take care of myself." Hikaru asked her pleadingly. Even going as far as to use the patented _puppy dog eyes _on her.

Gazing at the cute scene before her, chuckles couldn't help but escape her lips. Giving in to her son, she agreed to go on home, only on the condition that he had to have the calling button with him _at all times_, just in case.

-

Watching his mother leave the room, Hikaru was unaware of another presence that suddenly materialised next to him. Thus, he was shocked when he heard a familiar voice coming from right next to him.

'_It isn't nice to lie to your mother, you know.'_

Getting over his shock quickly, he replied, "She needs to rest. She looked far too tired." His childish voice taking on a sad quality. He shook his head, remembering all those times when his mother had stayed awake just to watch over him shortly after the accident, and what had happened afterwards…

Taking note of the sadness his orbs held, Sai turned his attention to the door which his mother had just left from. _'Maybe… But she is only concerned about you. You can't fault her for that.' _

Hikaru just shook his head and refused to answer. Instead changing the subject, "So who are you?"

'_Oh! I've never introduced myself to you, have I? I'm sorry. My name is Fujiwara no Sai. Haijimemashite.' _Sai bowed to Hikaru.

As Sai stood back up, Hikaru realised that this is the first time he is actually seeing him, without the fancy lights show and spooky white cloth hanging around. Sai looked surprisingly…feminine. With the long elegant looking white yukata and his long tresses of royal purple hair, to his purple eyes and equally matching purple lipstick. All of those things just screamed 'feminine'. If not for the tall hat he had on and his deep voice he really would have thought of that. But now, after seeing the entire picture, Hikaru thought that he just looked like one of those costumes of the Heian Era one of those shops near his school displays outside their shop.

Berating himself for getting carried away with his thoughts and nearly forgetting his manners Hikaru bowed back, or at least as much as he could from his sitting position. "Umm…Hajimemashite. Watashi wa Shindo Hikaru desu. Yoroshiku onegaishimasu."

Looking at Hikaru lithe and prone form, Sai instinctively knew that his current host is going to be a lot different from his previous one.

Seeing the child's face becoming sad again, Sai quickly changed the subject to one that he's familiar with, _'So, Hikaru-kun, have you ever played Go?'_

Witnessing the emotions that passed through his eyes, Sai knew he had made the right choice.

"Iie. But jii-san said that as soon as I'm released from the hospital, I can go over to his house to learn and play with him. I can't wait!" Hikaru's sparkling eyes and infectious smiles caused Sai to break into smiles and chuckles as well. Not that he needed much help.

In order to help the child better understand the game, Sai then took a seat at the corner of the bed and started to explain the game in a way Hikaru can, hopefully, understand.

-

-

"Sai nii-san! Sai nii-san, matte yo!" Hikaru cried out to the cheerful spirit in front of him, straining his lithe arms to move faster.

"Ne, ne, Hikaru, gambare masu. We're almost there!" Sai happily urged Hikaru onward, eyes glittering in harmless mirth as he saw Hikaru struggling to move faster in the wheelchair. Not that Sai wanted to taunt him on purpose, but it was just that he couldn't wait to get to Hikaru's ojii-san's house as it was only there where he can properly teach Hikaru the basics of Go. Lines and magnets on paper can only go so far…

Two years has passed since Hikaru first woke up to his face at the hospital. Two long years filled with many obstacles, hardships and problems, but not only that, it was also filled with numerous new and wondrous memories, even the memories he held with Torajirou could hold a candle to it.

Whereas in his past lives, people had always did their very best to accommodate him, to help him overcome whatever obstacles he faced, being with Hikaru opened a whole other chest of experience. Apparently, dealing with a handicapped child is vastly different from dealing with a friend or a servant.

Dealing with a servant was easy, all one had to do was to state ones wants and needs to the person for it to be carried out. To deal with a friend, one had to find a way to come to a compromise; a halfway mark between the two parties. Dealing with a handicapped child on the other hand, is not that easy.

The two years he spent with Hikaru was not solely filled with playing Go and having fun, but it was also filled with quarrels, fights and having to endure the cold shoulder from the other party every now and then.

Staring out at the scene in front of him; the setting sun painting the once blue sky a stunning mixture of orange and red, Sai couldn't help but think of the future of Go that lies in Hikaru's generation. Somehow, he couldn't help his heart soaring to unimaginable heights at the thought of the future of Go if Hikaru is any example.

A genuine smile emerged on his beautifully sculpted face, his mind exploring the depths of the waves of change that Hikaru would bring to the Go world, going as far as to not notice when Hikaru fled past him and skidded to a stop almost a second later.

-

-

Kaa-san: Mother

Hajimemashite: It's a pleasure to meet you for the first time

Yoroshiku Onegaishimasu: It's a pleasure to meet you and i hope you'll take care of me. (If the two translations aren't accurate, please tell me because i'm translating it first from Japanese, to Chinese, then into English.)

Iie: No

Jii-san: Grandfather

Nii-san: Older brother

Matte yo: Wait up!

Gambare Masu: A word of encouragement.

-

A/N: Here's the next chapter of the story, hope I got all the japanese romanji i used in this chapter... I'm not too sure about the Japanese educations system, the elementary, middle and high school stuff and at what age do they start, so if anyone is able to help me on that, I'll be really grateful.

This story would consist of some minor/major crossovers in the future, so if there are any suggestions for the crossovers, I would appreciate them as well.

flamesoot: I'm not sure about how to write summaries, so thanks a lot for the advice.

Plain.Game: Opps. I've gotten used to dropping Japanese words around in the drafts that the write that I forgot about that little fact… :P Thanks for the reminder.

Disenchatedlocks: A lot of people, especially kids, just discriminate against the people who are 'weird' just because they can't understand them. And a person in a wheelchair? I've even seen some of my classmates refusing to walk anywhere within a 20 meter radius of a junior of mine in a wheelchair. And we're like, around twice as old as those kids.

To all of my reviewers: Thank you so much for reviewing! I really appreciate it.

I hope you like this chapter. And please read and review!


	3. Chapter 2

Tilting his head to get a better look at his friend's face, Hikaru couldn't help but smile when he saw the satisfaction bloom on Sai's elegant features.

"You won."

It was amazing how those two words would cause the simple satisfaction on his face to morph into pure elation in just a split of a second.

Sai had strived to be the best, when he was alive, and even after he was dead. The circumstances surrounding his death caused him to lose his innocence about the game he adored- that Go will always be played fair- but in its place came even greater determination to reach what he called the _'Kami no Itte'- _theHand of God.

Recognition from the people he cared about meant the world to him, as Hikaru had found out long ago. It was heart wrenching for Hikaru to see crowds of people walk through his friend or just look right through him towards their destination as if he never existed. For someone who had yearned recognition…Hikaru couldn't even imagine how it must have felt to be Sai during those times…

For months after his accident, Sai had been his pillar of light, his ray of hope, the only reason why he hadn't given up on life. Sai had been the one to convince him to eat. Sai had been the one who shown him a game from which you are able to create the universe. Sai was the one who had saved him from the looming emotional breakdown during those times. Sai had given him a reason to live.

In order to repay what Sai had done to aid him in his recovery back into a semi-normal life, Hikaru felt that Sai should at least be given a chance to play the game he loved. Initially, Hikaru was stumped as to what he should do, due to his disability preventing his parents from allowing him out of their sights for more that an hour or two at a time. But one day, he stumbled across a brochure promoting NetGo.

Thus, that became the beginning of _Sai_, the mysterious prodigy of Go who only appeared online.

-

"Hikaru! Hikaru! Another game, just one more… Onegai?" Sai pleaded, violet eyes watering comically in an attempt to con Hikaru into another game.

Rubbing his fingers against his temples, Hikaru sighed as tried his best to avoid looking at those watery eyes. "Sai, not now, please. I'm sorry, but I really have to pack."

Giving Sai a smile, Hikaru continued. "Think about it this way. Aren't you excited that we would be going to another country for a month?"

"We're leaving?" Sai ceased all movement, eyes widening comically in shock.

"Don't you remember? I told it to you just a few weeks ago, Sai-nii! I even mentioned once it yesterday!"

"…"

"You forgot." Hikaru deadpanned. "You actually forgot about the trip we are supposed to be going on tomorrow?"

"…Hi-ka-ru." Sai whined apologetically.

Sighing exasperatedly at his ghostly brother's apparent short-term memory, Hikaru then looked at Sai in the eye. "So, pray tell, Sai-nii. What exactly were you doing when I announced that we were going on this trip two weeks ago?"

Sai bit his violet coloured lips and he tried to recall.

-

_Flashback_

_-_

"_Sai! Sai! You won't guess what 'kaa-san just told me!!" Hikaru wheeled himself into the room, grinning widely._

"_Hai? So what happened that made you so enthusiastic, Hikaru-chan?" Sai asked, his fan opened to hide his smile as his heart soared seeing Hikaru so full of life._

"_Sai.. I thought I told you to not call me that!" Hikaru whined._

"_Ahhh…But you just so cute when you came into the room that I couldn't resist." _

"_Bu-but it's embarrassing…" Hikaru's cheeks were slightly flushed. "I'm not a kid anymore, you know…"_

"_Aaaa…But Hikaru, compared to me, you're not yet an adult." _

_Hikaru couldn't help but snort lightly. "Compared to you, even ojii-san wouldn't count as an adult! You're like, ancient!" _

_Sai pouted. "Hikaru's meeeaaaaannnn.."_

_Remembering what he came in to tell Sai, Hikaru waved his hand and continued tell Sai what just happened. "Sai-nii! You wouldn't believe what 'kaa-san told me!"_

"_Hmm?" Sai's looked at the child before he was suddenly distracted by the new game that started between someone called 'White Shark' and 'Toad Poison'._

_Amethyst eyes widened at the level of skill exhibited by 'White Shark', Sai couldn't help but find himself immersed in the game._

_Behind him, Hikaru continued talking about the news he had just received. "…mom…travel…holidays……"_

_Sai just 'hmm'-ed, and nodded whenever Hikaru paused for a moment, eyes still glued to the screen._

_Seeing 'White Shark' skillfully drive 'Toad Poison' into a corner, cutting off all routes of survival one by one, Sai couldn't help but let a small appreciative sound escape his throat._

"_Yeah! You think so too, right Sai! It's really great!"_

'_Huh?' The game had just ended spectacularly, with both sides displaying levels of skill above the average NetGo players, but it was still clear that 'White Shark' had been dominating the game since the chuuban. _

"_Sai? You heard what I just said, right?" Hikaru looked at Sai concernedly. "Are you alright? 'Cause you look kinda dazed."_

_Sai tried in his panic to recall what Hikaru said, nothing came to mind. "Err… Hai! It's really great, Hikaru. Don't worry, I was just thinking about something."_

_Watching yet another bright smile breaking out on Hikaru's face, Sai knew he said the correct thing._

'_Hopefully, it wasn't something important…'_

_-_

_End Flashback_

-

"So?" Hikaru continued to stare at Sai, emerald orbs twinkling in amusement as he watched Sai squirm.

"…Gomen ne, Hikaru…" Sai's hands came together as he stared beseechingly at Hikaru. "But there was this game… And the people were so good…Then, well, I didn't mean to ignore you when you were talking…"

"Forgive me?" Those eyes suddenly started to water, Sai even threw in the trembling lips for maximum effect.

Taking care to avoid all eye contact with Sai, Hikaru was about to turn his wheelchair around when Sai suddenly appeared right in front of his eyes in a flurry of white cloths, it was then he knew all was lost.

'Gah! How does anyone expect to look at those eyes and expect their will to not crumble…' Hikaru grumbled mentally. 'I knew teaching him the puppy-dog eyes was a bad idea. Especially since I'm the only one he's able to use it on…'

Tossing in the white flag, Hikaru gave up. "Fine! I forgive you! Just stop looking at me like that already!"

Hikaru then wheeled his wheelchair around towards his wardrobe. "But still, no NetGo until I've at least finished packing."

"Hai!" Sai bobbed his head happily as he reached out to engulf Hikaru in a hug. "Oh thank you! Thank you Hikaru-chan!"

"Ahhh!" Hikaru yelled as Sai's hug almost caused his wheelchair to tip dangerously to one side.

"I've told you Sai! Stop calling me that! I'm not a girl!" Hikaru exclaimed as he tried to pry Sai's arms off of him.

Sai only smiled that mysterious smile of his when Hikaru finally managed to pry himself off him.

Tilting his head to one side, Sai walked to Hikaru's side and watched as Hikaru tossed one set of clothes after another into a hand held bag. "So, where are we going, Hikaru?"

Grinning widely, Hikaru continued to pack.

"To Korea."

-

Onegai- please

Sai-nii– brother Sai

Ojii-san- grandpa

Hai- Yes

Gomen ne- i

-

Rinata-chan: Well, when I was writing that, I felt that Hikaru would be a little more polite than the canon one seeing as he's around 5 years younger than when the series first started. (Young kids tend to me more polite, I speak this from personal experience. XD) And thanks for the help about the Japanese education system!

Lita of Jupiter: Opps. :P I forgot to replace the chapter… Thanks for pointing that out!

A/N: I've not been updating regularly at all partially because of my upcoming exams in a month. (Unfortunately I've not been doing well in my recent tests, so I'm afraid that fanfiction would have to be put on the back burner for a while)

The second reason would be that I've been having difficulties writing out this chapter. I've written out three drafts and so far, I feel this is the best so I've chose to post this up. But if anyone is interested in reading the other drafts, then you can just PM me your email or leave it in your reviews.

If there are any errors in this chapter, feel free to point it out to me. Unfortunately, as of yet, I still do not have a beta-reader.

Thank you to all of those who reviewed in the previous chapter!

And please read and review!


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